PLEASE help me make sense of this....

Hey Guys! I have been playing for about a year...When i first started, i was instantly hooked on the game. After playing with my $100 Strata set, i decided that i wanted to upgrade. I purchased (all used), a Ping G400 driver, and the titleist 718 AP1's iron set.

Lets just say, i have not been playing well. I took about 5-6 lessons, and my scored remain the same. For reference, we played 18 today, and i scored 120 - which is around what i normally do. 2 weeks ago, at the same course, i shot a 132. Anyways! so today, as me and my buddy are having lunch after our round, he tells me that he has something for me in his car, so we go, and he takes out an ancient looking golf bag and golf club set. i mean, it looks like these things were made 100 years ago lol. He bought 2 golf bags for 5 bucks at a tag sale, and it came with these clubs, so he wanted to give them to me. (the clubs are a lefty set, and im a lefty.)

So, just to twist the knife a little more lol, he tells me that the next time we play a round, i should use the ancient clubs.....So for the heck of it, i tell him to come with me, and we go to the driving range that is at the course...Needless to say, i was BEYOND shocked. I hit 15 balls with the 9 iron....14 of them landed within 5-6 feet of each other, DEAD straight...I cant emphasize this enough - the balls were going EXACTLY where i was aiming, with the exception of one shot, which went a little more left than i would have liked.

The one "issue" is that i wasnt hitting them as far as i would have liked. Not that i have any room to compain. With my $1,000 clubs, i cant get any iron shot to lift off the ground to save my life. I'm not trying to be funny by the way, the ball literally doesnt get off the ground, and normally i just completely toe it, or even better, hit it off the hosel.....Meanwhile, with the "anicent" clubs, im hitting them beautifully high, and 'decently' far. For example, most of my 9 iron shots were going roughly 105-115 yards....but this was also while i was using crappy range balls that were beat to hell.

The biggest difference between my AP1's and the "ancient" set, is that for example, my 5 iron on the titleist, is much thicker, than the 5 iron in the 'ancient' set....but is that the reason why i hit perfect shots with one, and nothing but mishits with the titleist? I just dont understand. Also, the link below is the set, that i keep referring to as the 'ancient' set.

https://www.overstock.com/Sports-Toys/MacGregor-Battlesticks-Oversize-LH-Iron-Set-3-PW-SW/4447034/product.html

Old clubs are not magic. For whatever reason, you're swinging them better. Post some videos with AP1s and the Battlesticks.

Old clubs had different lofts than modern clubs. At least one club and sometimes 2 full clubs different. In other words, in the hands of pro, your new 8 iron will go the same distance as the old 6 iron.

I thought this was gonna be another beginner-who-can-hit-old-blades-better-than-shovels-thread.

They aren’t quite ancient. 20 years maybe?

The older ones are larger and theoretically more forgiving. But I wouldn’t expect that much difference.

Leo’s already explained the distance part.

You probably weren't thinking about your swing while goofing around with the old clubs, whereas with your proper set, you probably have all sorts of swing thoughts going on. That would be my take, at least.

I promise you, this was not a 'mental' thing.... I’m swinging EXACTLY the same with both clubs. I hit roughly 200 balls because I was so annoyed, because I couldn’t comprehend why this was happening.

I would hit 5 shots with the old clubs, then 5 shots with my clubs. Then I would alternate one with old clubs, one shot with my clubs. Every time, same result. Beautiful, majestic shot with old clubs, and horrendous hosel shots with my clubs. EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I'm not even talking about distance though...It would be one thing if i wasnt getting the distance i wanted, but was still hitting solid shots....That was NOT the case. Im hitting majestic towering shots, that are going DEAD STRAIGHT with the old clubs, and im hitting nothing but toe or hosel shots with my clubs. Doesnt make any sense.

That is my one regret...I wish i had my buddy record me, because i dont think anyone would have believed me otherwise. I was not doing anything different at all. I wasn't trying to think about it, i was just trying to swing, and make solid contact. For whatever reason, when using the old clubs, the ball is literally going EXACTLY where i want it to go, 95% of the time...And with my very expensive clubs, im hitting, MAYBE, 1 good shot in 30 tries. And trust me, im not exaggerating. In our 18 hole round today, i might have hit 2 decent iron shots the entire round.

Are the AP1’s right handed?

Kidding...

Is one set of irons significantly longer than the other? Are the lie angles similar or different?

Does one of them have graphite shafts?

LOL exactly bro, if they were right handed, then at least i would have a good reason, and could make sense of this!! My titleist irons are maybe half an inch longer, than the old clubs. not sure how to tell if the lie angles are the same, but when i had them on the ground, they looked fairly similar. Both iron sets have irons shafts.

The biggest differences that i can tell, is that the old clubs have a fairly larger face, and the clubs heads, when looking at them from the top, are very skinny, when compared to the Titleist.

Also, im assuming because the old set is skinnier in size, another big difference is that the old clubs feel much lighter when I swing them.

Could just be a feel thing that one or the other set has.

I don't know about that. Older clubs were usually heavier. Men were men back then.

Some people find that they concentrate and focus more with the smaller club heads.

At least, you've shown yourself that it's possible for you to hit a golf ball well. Build on that confidence. Just swing 3/4 with the new clubs until you can make solid contact.

The old clubs probably fit you better. I think most of us would hit cheap pieces of crap that fit us better than top of the line clubs that don’t. If that’s not the case, then I hope you didn’t wash those lucky socks you were wearing.

I rotated through many different iron sets over the past decade. So many top-tier brands and all different skill ranges...from blades to super game improvement. I simply cannot hit any irons better than Cobra Amps. I even upgraded to Cobra F7 last year and ended up selling them because I hit the Amps better. It is all about finding the club that fits you...

can swing weight have any impact?(pardon the pun)

Some combination of different overall weight, length, loft, flex, and swing weight.

Won't know the exact reason without a fitting but if you hit them better PLAY them.

My titleist's feel very top heavy in my backswing....Like the club head feels much heavier than the rest of the club, where as the old clubs, just feel like one solid piece.

Could that alone be causing this issue?

Honeymoon effect. Happens all the time with new/different equipment.

I dont doubt that, that happens - But that is not the case here. As i have said numerous times, it would be one thing if i was just hitting slightly better shots with the old clubs....No, with my titleists, i literally cant get the ball off the ground. For God sakes, about 40% of the time, i hit it off the hosel! It just doesnt make sense to me, how with the old clubs, i hit them so flush, and so perfectly off the middle of the club face, yet, when i have my AP1's in my hand, i may as well be holding a rake.

You were on the range. Trust me, as someone who has been playing golf for 56 years, range play doesn't always translate to course play. On the range, you are usually very relaxed, and if you hit a bad shot, you just put another ball in front of you.

Take these clubs onto the course, where every shot counts, and report back to us.

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The difference could be the weight of the shaft.. I've noticed that most older clubs have lighter shafts..

Yes, it's known as a heavier swing weight (we don't know total weight without measuring) and it can have a huge impact on how you swing the club.

It seems clear that the Titleist do not fit you properly. Your best options are to play the clubs you hit best or take the Titleist to a fitter and see if they can be adjusted to fit you better.

Roger that bud! I am playing 18 on Saturday, and Sunday. Will report back my scores after each day....Normally now, for 18, i shoot anywhere from 115-135.

i have a set of standard 718 AP1's and i am 5'11.

Like i said, only big difference that i can tell, is that when i swing my AP1's the clubhead feels very heavy, and i have no idea where it is in my backswing, hence the hosel shots.

The old clubs on the other hand, the club heads feel lighter, and i feel like i can really swing very hard, with confidence, because i know where the head is at all times.

Ok so, im playing a couple rounds this weekend...If my scores are much lower than usual, which i think will be the case, do i take my Titleist set to a golf shop and have them adjust them to the same specs as the old clubs?

Or is the answer to sell the Titleists, and get fitted?

Lessons.

Here's a few ideas:

Shaft weight,

Shaft flex.

Shaft kickpoint.

Shaft length.

Shaft material.

Swing weight, intricately related to the shaft.

Aesthetics. Could be that you like looking at a smaller topline. This is a very real factor for me.

Honeymoon effect.

The fact that the ap1 feels heavier tells me that you should explore swing weight options. Typically if the head feels heavy, the shaft is too light, but that is not a hard and fast rule for all golfers. But I am guessing that the older irons have a heavier shaft based on the fact that they are old and the swing weight issue you described.

Lessons? I have had lessons. Every round i would play with my Titleists, and do terribly, i would be confused because i was doing everything i was taught, but i would always get a terrible result...

Now, i am doing everything i was taught, except with a $5 iron set, and im striking the ball perfectly, and getting the desired results. Correct me if im wrong, but that proves the point that the issue isnt "lessons".